Burial vaults



Jan. 1, 1963 J. c. DELL ETAL 3,070,868

BURIAL VAULTS Filed June 3, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Jan. 1, 1963 J. c; DELL ETAL 3,070,868

' BURIAL VAULTS Filed June 3, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 3

- ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofltice 3,070,868 Patented Jan. 1, 1963 3,070,868 BURIAL VAULTS Joseph C. Dell and Bernard R. Fauber, Mount Sidney,

This invention relates to improvements in burial vaults substantially as shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in detail.

An object of this invention is to provide a burial vault which is comparatively light in weight so as to be relatively easily handled and more cheaply transported, yet will provide a maximum of durability and security against action of the underground elements.

A further object of this invention is to provide a burial vault comprised of an upper and a lower part connected together in use and having a joint therebetween sealed by a sealing substance of durable character and in which on the outer sides of said sealing substance both the upper and the lower parts of the vault are provided with downwardly extending continuous flanges located adjacent each other and providing an air seal which serves to keep underground liquid away from the seal.

Another object of this invention is to provide a burial vault comprised of an upper and a lower part, one of which parts has external dimension of its principal portion smaller than the internal dimensions of the other part, whereby the one part can, when reversed, be accommodated within the other part, and, thus, reduce the space occupied by the vault in storage or shipping.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an improved and de luxe version of our new aluminum burial vault;

FIGURE 2 is a transverse vertical section of the vault according to FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional detail of the locking mechanism between the two parts of the burial vault;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the two parts of the burial vault as about to be telescoped, for shipping and/ or storage.

The essential features of our invention comprise constructing the parts of the burial vault of aluminum or of aluminum alloys; the aluminum-asphalt plastic seal which is provided between the cooperating flanges 4, 5, respectively, of the two parts of the burial vault, as more particularly disclosed in FIGURES 2 and 3; the telescopic disposition of the two parts of the burial vault for storage or shipping; the provision of a base member of substantial vertical depth and generally, all other features of novelty as disclosed in the drawings and/ or specification.

As is clearly shown especially in the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 2 and 4 the bottom part of the vault is provided with vertical side walls 6 of substantial vertical extent and at their upper edges have a peripherally continuous outwardly extending flange which at its outer edge extends downwardly a substantial distance as indicated at 7.

The outside transverse dimensions of the upper part of upper part 1 of the vault are sufliciently smaller than the inside dimensions of the upper portion of the bottom part 2 to permit the upper part, when reversed, to telescope to some extent into the bottom part as illustrated in FIG. 4 for saving space for storage or shipping.

The side walls 8 (which term includes the end walls) of the upper part of the vault also have substantial vertical extent and are provided with an outwardly extending, peripherally continuous, flange 4 which at its outer edge portion is turned downwardly for a substantial distance as indicated by numeral 9. This structure can be provided conveniently by having the lower portions of the side walls of the upper part of the vault reversed upwardly as indicated at 10, and then outwardly and downwardly.

The aluminum-asphalt plastic seal 3 is contained in the channel provided by the side wall and outwardly and downwardly extending flanges of the upper part of the vault as can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3.

When assembled for use the upper portion of the side walls and the outwardly and downwardly extending flanges of the bottom part fit within the space or groove formed by the side walls and the outwardly and downwardly extending flanges of the upper part of the vault and the aluminum-asphalt seal is pressed between bottom of the outwardly extending flange of the upper part and the top of the corresponding flange of the lower part presses the seal also against the side and downwardly extending flange of the upper part and due to the inherent nature of the asphalt adheres to the surfaces it touches and forms an impervious seal. Due to the downward extent of the flange 9 of the upper part of the vault an air pocket A is provided between said flange 9 and flange 7 of the bottom part which pocket prevents corrosive ground water and soil reaching the seal 3.

When assembled in use the top and bottom parts are secured together by angular latch members 12, one arm 13 of each of which engages against the top of flange 4 of the upper part, and another arm 14 of which is vertically pivoted in hinge bracket 15.

We claim:

1. In a vault for burial in the ground, a bottom part having upwardly extending side walls, an upper part arranged above said bottom part and having downwardly extending side walls, means forming an hermetic seal at the edge portions of the side walls of said bottom and top parts, and an air seal outside said hermetic seal to keep ground water spaced from said hermetic seal, said means being constituted in that said upwardly extending walls have outwardly extending flanges at the upper edge portions thereof, the outer edges of said outwardly extending flanges extending downwardly in spaced relation to the upwardly extending portions of said side walls, the downwardly extending walls of said upper part extending within the upwardly extending walls of said bottom part, said side walls of said upper part having a flange extending outwardly at locations near but above their bottom edges and being downwardly turned a substantial distance at the outer portion thereof, thereby forming a downwardly open groove, said downwardly turned portion of said flange being closely. adjacent the outer faces of the downwardly extending portions of the flange of the side walls of the bottom part, a mass of aluminum-asphalt plastic sealing material located in the upper portion of said downwardly facing groove, engaging the inner faces of the walls forming said groove, the upper face of said outwardly extending flange of said bottom portion engaging and forming an hermetic seal against the bottom face of said sealing material, all of said Walls and said downwardly turned flange of said upper part being continuous around the periphery of the vault so that said downward- 1y turned flange portion of said upper part forms said air seal, and all of said Walls and flanges being composed of aluminum alloy.

2. A vault according to claim 1 and in which the outside transverse dimensions of said upper part are smaller 10 than the corresponding dimensions of the lower part to permit telescoping the upper part, when reversed into the lower part.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Skahen Aug. 26, Bowman June 29, Culpepper Sept. 11, Brady Sept. 9, Cobb Aug. 16-, Green Feb. 20 Calleson et a1. Jan. 3, Brady et a1. July 15,

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain June 19, France June 6, 

1. IN A VAULT FOR BURIAL IN THE GROUND, A BOTTOM PART HAVING UPWARDLY EXTENDING SIDE WALLS, AN UPPER PART ARRANGED ABOVE SAID BOTTOM PART AND HAVING DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING SIDE WALLS, MEANS FORMING AN HERMETIC SEAL AT THE EDGE PORTIONS OF THE SIDE WALLS OF SAID BOTTOM AND TOP PARTS, AND AN AIR SEAL OUTSIDE SAID HERMETIC SEAL TO KEEP GROUND WATER SPACED FROM SAID HERMETIC SEAL, SAID MEANS BEING CONSTITUTED IN THAT SAID UPWARDLY EXTENDING WALLS HAVE OUTWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGES AT THE UPPER EDGE PORTIONS THEREOF, THE OUTER EDGES OF SAID OUTWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGES EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY IN SPACED RELATION TO THE UPWARDLY EXTENDING PORTIONS OF SAID SIDE WALLS, THE DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING WALLS OF SAID UPPER PART EXTENDING WITHIN THE UPWARDLY EXTENDING WALLS OF SAID BOTTOM PART, SAID SIDE WALLS OF SAID UPPER PART HAVING A FLANGE EXTENDING OUTWARDLY AT LOCATIONS NEAR BUT ABOVE THEIR BOTTOM EDGES AND BEING DOWNWARDLY TURNED A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE AT THE OUTER PORTION THEREOF, THEREBY FORMING A DOWNWARDLY OPEN GROOVE, SAID DOWNWARDLY TURNED PORTION OF SAID FLANGE BEING CLOSELY ADJACENT THE OUTER FACES OF THE DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING PORTIONS OF THE FLANGE OF THE SIDE WALLS OF THE BOTTOM PART, A MASS OF ALUMINUM-ASPHALT PLASTIC SEALING MATERIAL LOCATED IN THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID DOWNWARDLY FACING GROOVE, ENGAGING THE INNER FACES OF THE WALLS FORMING SAID GROOVE, THE UPPER FACE OF SAID OUTWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGE OF SAID BOTTOM PORTION ENGAGING AND FORMING AN HERMETIC SEAL AGAINST THE BOTTOM FACE OF SAID SEALING MATERIAL, ALL OF SAID WALLS AND SAID DOWNWARDLY TURNED FLANGE PORTION OF SAID UPPER PART FORMS SAID AIR SEAL, AND ALL OF SAID WALLS AND FLANGES BEING COMPOSED OF ALUMINUM ALLOY. 